System for broad-band recording



July s, 1960' H. P. WEHDE ETAL Filed July 10, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F79. cas-.Qt

0 w, 2 au@Y v w W Cgpwj! b l .f2-ca@Y 0 .Q-co, hm 2Mo, @we w y @$.91 C l,l A y 0 w, f2 co2 a) www mw/)f d fl/ f2-we 0 2-cu, msm .QH/J, 2mg? w United States Patent O SYSTEM Fon BROAD-BAND RECORDING Heinz P. Wehde and Paul G. Rothe, Hannover, Germany, assignors to Telefunken G.m.b.`H., Berlin, Germany Filed July 10, 1956, Ser. No. 596,988

Claims priority, application Germany July 20, 1955 Claims. (Cl. 179-1555) The present invention relates to a method and system for transposing a signal covering `a `wide frequency band into two or more signals each covering a narrower band especially suitable for multi-.track recording on a signal carrier such as a magnetic tape or the like; and for retransposing these narrower-bandsignals to `the original widefrequencysignal wherein the proper amplitudes and phases are retained.

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modulators may then be added to one another in a summing circuit. The total thus obtained represents exactly the original signal, as will be shown below. For the sake of simplicity, the same modulators may be used for both The problem of converting a frequency band into several other frequency-bands, each occupying a lower position in the frequency spectrum, may arise in different fields relating to transmission technique, for example, if only cable is available, to transmit a very wide frequency band, such as a video signal, such cable having a cutoff frequency which renders the cable unsatisfactory to transmit the band width of the original signal.

Primarily, the above problem arises when video signals are to be recorded on magnetic carriers. In the latter case, the high frequencies of the signal can be recorded on the magnetic carrier only at high carrier or tape velocities. As a result of this, only relatively short programs or parts thereof can be recorded on a magnetic tape if a single track system is used due to the limited diameter of the magnetic tape reels. Therefore, it is desirable to transpose the wide frequency band of the signal to be recorded into several narrower component-frequency bands and to record the latter on adjacent tracks of the magnetic tape at lower velocities. In such case, it is a requirement that neither amplitude nor phase distortion occurs at the boundaries of the component-frequency bauds, because such distortion would be noticeable as distortions in the video picture produced. Thus, an attempt to split up the wide frequency band vinto several partial frequency bandsby means of conventional low, band, or high-pass filters would involve considerable difficulty.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate these diiculties by transposing a signal extending over a wide frequency band into Itwo signals each covering a frequency band occupying a lower position in the frequency spectrum and having a narrower band-width; and to provide simple means for retransposing said signals into the original frequency band, whereby amplitude and phase distortions do not occur at any place in this frequency band.

'It is another object of this invention to provide a system wherein the transposed signals each occupies half the band-width of the original signal.

It isa still further object of the invention to provide two modulators for the signal transposition, said two modulators being adapted to modulate the signal with two carrier oscillations, the frequencies of which are equal and lie within the wide frequency band of the original signal, preferably near the center of the signal band, and wherein the phases of these oscillations are displaced 90.

It is an addi-tional object of this invention to provide for the retransposition two other modulators adapted and arranged to modulate with the lower side bands of the two transposed signals oscillations which equal those used inthe transpositionstepr-withi respect to frequency and phase, whereupoirthej modulation products of thesetwo transposition and retransposition purposes.

Still further objects rand the entire scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are vgiven by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a series of frequency diagrams, with reference to which the principle of this invention will be explained;

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a signal transposing apparatus according to the invention;

Figure 3 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a signal retransposing apparatus according to the invention.

' In the diagram of Figure l, the frequency bands and oscillation frequencies are plotted in the vertical direction. Diagram a in Figure 1 illustrates the wide frequency band to ybe transmitted. This Ifrequency band, denoted by cos wt, is modulated in a modulator, for example, a ring modulator, with the frequency Q indicated as a vertical line in this diagram. This modulator simultaneously suppresses the carrier frequency. The phase of this oscillator Ifrequency is indicated by cos Qt, in the diagram, and the oscillator frequency Q lies in the center of the frequency band to be converted. By simple mixing in the modulator, the following modulation product :is obtained:

Thus, two side bands are obtained which are shown in diagram b of Figure l, while the carrier Q is eliminated. The amplitude coeflicients are omitted in the foregoing equation and in the subsequent equations for the sake of clarity, because these coefficients `are not necessary` to understand the operation of the new method and system. For example, the amplitude of the signal frequency w is assumed to be unity between the limits w1 and wa and zero for all other frequencies w. In addition, it is specifically assumed in Figure l that Q=2w1, and w2=3w1. This particular frequency selection refers to an example which will be explained below.

In diagram b of Figure 1, the lower side band 1/2 cos (Q=w)t appears to include some negative frequencies, since w sometimes assumes values greater than Q. The frequency occurring in the modulated product then equals the absolute value of the negative frequency. The upper side band l/2 cos (Q4-Ot is not of interest in the present case, because it cannot be reproduced by recording on a magnetic tape, due yto the limited frequency transmitting properties of the magnetic head. Thus, a filter having a cutoff frequency between w1 and a2 may be inserted to cutoff the upper side band so that a signal will beobtained having modulation products comprising only frequencies between zero and w1, whereby the band width of the frequency is 1/2 that of the original signal.

The same original signal cos wt (w1 w w2) is mixed by multiplication in a second modulator with the same frequency Q as in the first modulator, the carrier frequency in the second modulatorbeing displaced4 in phase with respect to cos Qt and, therefore, being-designated as sin Qt. These conditions are indicated in diagram c of Figure l, while diagram` d of` Figure l vshows the modulation products t f (2) sin Qt cos ot=1/2 sin (il-w-l-l/z sin (SH-0f The side 'bands 1/2 sin(Q-w)t+1/2 sin(Q-{w)t are located in the diagram d at the same locations as the side .bands of the modulation products in the rst modulator vshown in diagram b and are distinguished from them merely in phase.

In the retransposing step, the lower side bands of the signals, shown in the diagrams b and d of Figure 1, are mixed with the carrier frequencies respectively assigned to them. Thus, in the first channel, there are obtained:

(3')cos Slt-V2 cos (S2-w)t=% cos wt-t-li cos (2Q-w)t and in the second channel:

(4)V sinV (M1A2 sin (Q.-w)t=l/4 cos aut-JA cos (2Q-0r These modulation products for the first channel are shown in diagram e of Figure l and those for the second channel in diagram f of Figure l. If'the two modulation products,vi.e., the right sides of the Equations 3 and 4 are-added, the original wide-band signal cos wt with an -vamplitude coeicient 1/z is again obtained. It is important that in the retransposition stepV modulators with carjrir vsuppression characteristics are used so that the carrier isv no longer present in the output, as shown in ,diagram g of Figure l, because, otherwise, the video picture would be distorted by this carrier Q lying within the vsignal frequency band. Therefore, double push-pull modulators, in particular ring modulators are suitably d.v ftypemixing method be used,l so that spurious mixing Y.profductswill not be present in the modulation products.

: Furthermore, it is essential thatA a multiplying 1 The circuit system according to the invention was described in the vforegoing/as an example of specific-ally "selected frequencies, i.e. l=2w1, w2=3a1, chosen for the Vslarkefofv simplicity. .newlkind of modulation can vbe carried out in the case `of any other selection of frequency values. A decreased v.band width of the transposed signals with respect to the It Ycan be easily proven that this original-signal band width is obviously obtained only when w1 t2 w2, and one half of the band width is obtained only when Q is exactly in the center between w1 V and a2.

The same results are obtained when al is substantially smaller than 1K2 of il. Practical difficulties are encountered when w1 becomes zero, because then the Vfrequency vband to be transposed contains all the frequencies down to zero. In the latter case, the separat-ion of the upper side band from the lower side bandis difficul't, because the lower frequency limit of the upper side bandk coincides with the upper frequency limit of the lower side band and simultaneously with the carrier l frequency Q. Consequently, lif it is desired, to transpose la frequency band, such as the video signal band in a' television system for the purpose of rmulti-track record- V-ing on a magnetic carrier in accordance with the invenan embodiment of a signal transposing apparatus accord-V ing to the invention. The signal to be transposed is applied via a terminal 1 to modulators 2 and 3. A subharmonic Q/n of the carrier frequency S2 is supplied from a master generator 4 to a multiplier 5 in which the carrier frequency is directly fed from the multiplier 5 to the modulator 2. The phase of the carrier frequency is assumed ,inthis example to -be represented by cos Qt.

'In addition to this, the frequency Q is supplied to the modulator 3 via a phase shifter 6 displacing the phase 90. This Vphase shift is represented as sin 52,. The modulation rproducts are supplied to the recording heads 9 and 10 of a magnetic tape recording apparatus via lowpass filters 7 and 8, respectively, which may not be essential. Furthermore, a third recording head 11 is provided to supply the master frequency Q/n of the generator 4, so as to recordA said master frequency on a third track of the magnetic tape. ln the present case, tz/n was selected as the master frequency because the frequency Q itself is in a frequency range which can no longer be recorded nor reproduced by a magnetic tape recording apparatus.

According to the invention, there is shown in Figure 3 the circuit of an apparatus adapted to retranspose the recorded signals to the original .frequency range. 'This apparatus comprises substantially the same components in reverse order as those in therrecording apparatus of Figure 2. The cosine signal is picked up by means of a magnetic head Z1 and the sine signal by means of a magnetic head 2,2, while the master frequency is picked Yup by means of a magnetic head Z4. The cosine signal is vinserted inthe system to suppress disturbing lower frequencies. The original signal fed to theT input terminal 1 of Figure 2 appears 'again' at the output terminal 32 of Figure 3,. This signal may serve either to reproduce a video picture, or to modulate a transmitter, in which case, it may be desirable to add other picture components, as well as synchronizing pulses, etc.

We claim:

l. A system to transpose original signals covering a wide frequency band into two components each covering anarrower'band-Width and for recording the narrower band-width components on a recording medium, comprising a master oscillator for generating a frequency, phase-splitting network means for dividing said frequency into two quadrature carriers, said frequency lying within said wide frequency band, two mixers for respectively multiplying said original signals by one quadrature carrier to form two products, means for selecting the lower sidebands of each of said products, and means forsimultaneously recording on said medium` each of said lower vside-bands and said master oscillator frequency.

2. In a system as set forth in claim l, means for playing back and retransposing said recorded side-bands' to reform said original signals comprising means for playing back from said medium said Iside-bands and said frequency, phase-splitting network means for dividing said frequency into two quadrature carriers, two mixers for respectively multiplying each side-band bythe quadrature carrier having the same phase which originally formed it, and summation means for adding together the mixer outputs to reproduce the original signals.

3V. In a system as set forth.l in claim 2, said mixers each comprising a balanced mixer, lwherein the carrier is suppressed and only the side-bands are emitted.

4. A system to transpose original signals covering a wide frequency band into two components each covering a narrower band-width and for recording the narrower band-with components on a recording medium, comprising a master oscillator for generating a frequency, phasesplitting network means for dividing'said frequency into two quadrature carriers, said frequency lying Within said wide frequency band, two mixers for -respectively multiplying said original' signals by one quadrature carrier to form two products, .means for selecting the lower sidebands of each of Vsaid products, means for selecting a sub-harmonic of said oscillator frequency, and means for simultaneously recording on said medium each of said lower side-bands and said sub-harmonic.

5. In`a system as set forth in claim 4, means vfor playing back and retransposng said recorded side-bands to reform said .original signals comprising means for playing back from said medium said sidebands and said subharmonic, multiplying means for regaining said frequency from said sub-harmonic, phase-splitting net-work means for dividing said frequency into two quadrature carriers, two mixers for respectively multiplying each side-band by the quadrature carrier having the same phase which originally formed it, and summation means for adding together the mixer outputs to Ireproduce the original signais.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Miller May 17, 1938 Hammond et al. Feb. 10, 1942 Sinnett et al. Ian. 2, 1951 Hoeppner June 19, 1956 Di Toro Oct. 9, 1956 

